In the contemporary times of techno music, digitally generated sounds and awe-inspiring studio effects, the music of Yash Chopra’s movie Veer Zaara brings back the nostalgic memories of melodies that pluck strings at heart with their pure form and content.

The album features melodies composed by the late music director Madan Mohan. Yash Chopra selected the tunes from Madan Mohan’s unused collection and had the legendary composer’s son Sanjeev Kohli to rearrange these melodies into songs that go with the theme of Veer Zaara.

The movie, starring Shah Rukh Khan, Preity Zinta and Rani Mukherjee in the leading roles, is a touching love story between a Pakistani girl and an Indian guy.

Apart from ‘ear-pleasing’ melodies of Veer Zaara, it is the singing of Lata Mangeshkar in many songs that make it a musically rich album.

The album begins with slow and sentimental track Tere Liye, which is beautifully sung by Roop Kumar Rathod and Lata ji. Madan Mohan’s mastery with tunes is quite apparent in this number, parts of which are used as leitmotifs in the movie.

The album then nudges into an effervescing mood with Udit Narayan pepping things up with his invigorating rendition in Main Yahan Hoon. Udit’s control and command of his vocal chords is visible in the following number Yeh Hum Aa Gaye Hai Kahan. The song is a finely composed romantic duet with Lata ji adding emotional fervor with her extraordinary voice.

Punjabi-flavored Aisa Des Hai Mera is among the outstanding compositions of this album. The song begins with Gurdas Mann creating the right mood with his Punjabi singing after which Udit Narayan carries it forward. However, Mann returns midway in the song with his emphatic renditions of Punjabi folk songs – Ye Desh Hai Veer Jawano Ka and Reshmi Salwar Kurta Jaali Ka.

This song is essentially a patriotic song with Lata Mangeshkar doing cameo singing, pointing out the similarities between India and Pakistan, and urging the people to realize that they belong to the same soil.

Then follows the soft and lilting track Do Pal by Sonu Nigam and Lata Mangeshkar. The song is an emotion-filled number that reminds of the vintage low-tempo tracks from 1970s.

Kyun Hawa begins with a foreword by Yash Chopra after which Sonu Nigam and Lata ji take over. The song reminds of Amitabh’s prologue in the song Yeh Kahan Aa Gaye Hum from Chopra’s yesteryear hit Silsila.

Lata Mangeshkar lightens up the mood with the fun-frolic song Hum To Bhai Jaise Hain, before Hussain brothers (Ahmed and Mohammad) lift up the atmosphere with their energetic qawwali Aaya Tere Darr Par Deewana. The good thing about this qawwali is the use of instruments like Tabla and Harmonium, both of which seem to have vanished from the contemporary music scene.

The album also features a Punjabi folk song Lohri by Udit Narayan, Lata ji and Gurdas Mann. A frothy number about the male-female teasing, the song will be liked by those who appreciate Punjabi folk.

The album has two bonus tracks that won’t be part of the film. The two songs are – a light ghazal Tum Paas Aa Rahe Ho by Jagjit Singh and Lata Mangeshkar and a sentimental track Jaane Kyun by Lata ji.